Chapter Twenty-Six: The True Form of the Demon Child Emerges

Shaolin continued to chant the scripture under his breath, making Zhang Yang grow impatient. “If you won’t come over here, then I’ll go to you!” He lifted the spirit sword in his hand and charged toward Shaolin. Just as he was about to reach him, Zhang Yang suddenly realized that Shaolin had become enormous, towering before him like a giant. “What?” Stunned by the giant before him, Zhang Yang stood frozen. But Shaolin gave him no time to be surprised; he lifted a foot to stomp on him. Terrified, Zhang Yang retreated, tumbling into the grass. At that moment, a caterpillar as large as himself crawled out of the underbrush, making Zhang Yang scramble to his feet and dodge aside. “What’s going on?” Staring at the monstrous caterpillar and the now giant-sized Shaolin, Zhang Yang immediately understood: it wasn’t Shaolin who had grown but himself who had shrunk. What kind of spell had Shaolin cast to make him so small?

As Zhang Yang panicked, Shaolin reached out and grabbed his shrunken body with ease—Zhang Yang was now small enough to be held in one hand. “You were right. That was a Shrinking Spell I cast on you,” Shaolin said with a chuckle.

“With this, Zhang Yang doesn’t stand a chance!” Seeing Zhang Yang captured, Qin Xiaochuan shouted at Shaolin, “Stop! I concede on his behalf—let him go!”

“Concede for him? I don’t recall agreeing to that.” With a sidelong glance at Qin Xiaochuan, Shaolin gripped Zhang Yang tightly, squeezing hard. “The places you hit still hurt. How should I thank you? Let’s start with your arm.” Shaolin pinched Zhang Yang’s arm and, with a slight squeeze, broke it. Zhang Yang’s agonized scream echoed as the bone snapped—a pain far beyond what ordinary people could endure. “Ha, your arm’s as fragile as a matchstick. What if I used both hands and squeezed harder?”

“Shaolin wins!” Master Jinghai hastened to announce the result, clearly concerned for Zhang Yang, fearing Shaolin would kill him.

“Let him go now!” As soon as Master Jinghai declared the match over, Qin Xiaochuan dashed toward Shaolin, determined to rescue Zhang Yang.

Seeing Qin Xiaochuan charging at him, Shaolin tightened his grip, seemingly intent on crushing Zhang Yang to death.

“You bastard!” Sensing Zhang Yang’s danger, Qin Xiaochuan shouted, ready to grapple with Shaolin. Seeing Qin Xiaochuan’s desperation, Shaolin casually tossed Zhang Yang aside. “Here, take him back!” It was as if he were toying with Qin Xiaochuan, flinging Zhang Yang far away just before Qin could reach them.

“Zhang Yang!” Qin Xiaochuan called out as he saw Zhang Yang thrown into the distance. He hurried after him, afraid Zhang Yang would end up somewhere unknown and lose his life.

“Ha, I bet all his bones are shattered. Let’s restore him and see.” Shaolin formed a seal with his hands, reciting a Sanskrit incantation, apparently a spell to reverse the shrinking.

“Zhang Yang!” Qin Xiaochuan and Xia Dan rushed to the spot where Zhang Yang, restored to his normal size, lay. Xia Dan knelt to check his injuries. “His left arm is broken, ribs are fractured, and his right leg... He might be crippled…”

Watching Zhang Yang lie there, Shaolin said smugly, “It takes considerable time to recite the full Shrinking Spell, so this was my first time using it in real combat. If I could master Master Jinghai’s Spirit Wave Fist and perfect it, I think I could blast an opponent to dust. I can’t wait to learn it…”

“…” Master Jinghai regarded the excited Shaolin in silence. “Indeed, if such things are abused…”

“Hey! Stop dreaming!” Qin Xiaochuan, angry not just for Zhang Yang’s suffering but also at the thought of Shaolin learning Master Jinghai’s ultimate techniques and causing more harm, could no longer contain his rage.

Before Master Jinghai could announce the next match, Qin Xiaochuan clenched his fists and shouted, “You demon child! You bastard!” Driven by fury, he charged at Shaolin. “How dare you hurt Zhang Yang like that!”

In a flash, Qin Xiaochuan was upon Shaolin, landing a heavy punch to his face. Shaolin, caught off guard, took the full brunt of the blow, the force knocking him to the ground and sliding him back, leaving a trail in the water. Looking at the fallen demon child, Qin Xiaochuan clenched his fist. “I’ll beat you so badly your own mother won’t recognize you—just like the ninety-nine masters you killed, you scum!”

“Oof…” Shaolin had barely sat up when Qin Xiaochuan was on him again, kicking him brutally in the stomach and sending him flying backward.

“Get up, you bastard!” Seeing Shaolin down again, Qin Xiaochuan didn’t rush but walked over slowly, intent on torturing him, making him suffer for Zhang Yang, whose place in his heart was clearly significant.

“Ugh! That hurts.” Clutching his face and stomach, Shaolin struggled to rise. “I didn’t expect such strength. The test measured 155P, but that punch was at least over 300P—far above the initial reading.” Apparently, Shaolin had memorized the spiritual power levels of every competitor, so he’d be prepared for battle.

“Just those two punches aren’t nearly enough!” Qin Xiaochuan balled his fists and charged again, ready to punish Shaolin further.

“Blazing Wind Blade Fist!” As Qin Xiaochuan came at him once more, Shaolin unleashed another technique—a wind blade formation he’d learned from defeating a formation master. He shaped his hands like blades, slashing rapidly around himself, conjuring gusts that formed a protective barrier—an offensive and defensive technique in one.

Even as the air churned, Qin Xiaochuan didn’t hesitate. Shielding his head with his arms, he charged straight through, as if to break the formation by force.

“Useless! You’ll be shredded by these blades!” Shaolin, intensifying the attack, did not believe Qin Xiaochuan could break through the wind.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try!”

“What!? He jumped!” To Shaolin’s astonishment, Qin Xiaochuan, having reached him, leapt high into the air—he’d found the eye of the wind formation, the spot where the blades were thinnest, and attacked from above. This guy was a monster!

“Die!!” Bursting through the outer wind blades, Qin Xiaochuan dove from above, crossing his arms in front of his chest and chopping fiercely at Shaolin’s neck. The force of his body and the downward momentum slammed Shaolin’s astonished face hard into the ground.

For an ordinary person, this would have been fatal, but even Shaolin was badly hurt by the strike. Lying motionless, Qin Xiaochuan rolled aside onto the wet ground, clearly also wounded—though he had dodged most of the wind blades, his arms, body, and legs were covered in cuts, bleeding heavily.

With Shaolin seemingly unconscious, Qin Xiaochuan struggled to his feet, a look of satisfaction on his face. “Heh, go reflect in the next world for a while.” Glancing at Xia Dan running over, Qin Xiaochuan’s eyelids drooped with exhaustion. “I’m spent. This guy should be finished, heh!”

“Yes, Zhang Yang can finally rest in peace.” Xia Dan, ever mindful of her duties, never forgot to perform rites for the departed, wherever she went.

As Qin Xiaochuan approached, Master Jinghai seemed anything but pleased, her expression grave. “Why are you coming here? If your opponent is the demon child, the match is only just beginning!”

“What?!” At Master Jinghai’s warning, a childish voice came from behind Qin Xiaochuan—a voice no older than seven or eight. “Ahahaha, it’s been decades since I fought in my true form as the demon child, and that was only against Master Jinghai. Facing a human besides her is truly exciting! Listen, boy, I’ll make you suffer until you die slowly! Don’t disappoint me!”

A silver-haired monster rose behind Qin Xiaochuan—a slender child’s body with a doll-like face, unnaturally eerie, with silver hair and a child’s features, truly deserving of the name “demon child.” Though small, his muscles were well-defined, and red demonic markings covered his face and body, making him terrifying to behold. Anyone seeing him at night would be scared to death—this was the demon child’s true form.

“You look pale.”

“Don’t joke with me!”

As the demon child advanced, Qin Xiaochuan felt a chilling, overwhelming demonic energy radiating from him—so strong and cold it made him shudder. Sensing the threat of death, Qin Xiaochuan gritted his teeth and attacked with all his remaining strength.

“Looks like you’ve exhausted your spirit power already!” Feeling nothing from Qin Xiaochuan’s blows, the demon child was utterly unconcerned, letting the punches land harmlessly. “Your fists have no spirit left in them!” Then, the demon child opened his mouth, releasing a silken, gleaming strand like a glistening thread, which shot out to wrap around Qin Xiaochuan.